We at the Program Board were quite surprised to read the Jan. 29 staff editorial in The GW Hatchet that stated we have decided not to produce “big” concerts anymore (“The day music died”). We are baffled as to how The GW Hatchet reached this conclusion. Here are the facts:
PB will produce a major concert event this semester. It will be held April 21 on the University Yard. Spring Fling will include student bands in addition to a popular music act. As usual, the performers will be announced to the GW community several weeks beforehand.
Concerts are an important part of the Program Board’s mission. We aim to provide a wide selection of music, from hard rock to hip-hop, from student bands to top national acts. Students need not look further than our Web site to see that this approach has been and will continue to be executed effectively.
The GW Hatchet finds it “hard to believe that there is not one night open between January and May that works for any of a handful of popular bands students would enjoy.” The reality is that Smith Center availability, tour routing, talent pricing and the academic calendar make planning such an event extremely difficult. When an opportunity does come up, we capitalize on it. Live and Blues Traveler are two great examples. So are comedy events like Jon Stewart, David Spade and next month’s performance by Janeane Garafalo.
PB works regularly with the Student Activities Center, the athletic department and national talent agents who have helped us bring to the GW campus in the past year events such as the Beach Boys, Cypress Hill and Bloodhound Gang. The Hatchet described our efforts as a “shameful misuse of the money and facilities students have entrusted to their peers and administrators.” We tend to agree with the editorial they published on Sept. 21, which stated “PB does a good job with the money it is allotted; one need only recall the success of Fall Fest.”
-Seth Weinert
PB executive chair
